Karate Leopard
by Black Raider
Summary: prequel to Secret of the Scrolls. Set ten years previous, this is the story of Xai the clouded leopard and how he became who he is today. Rated T for violence and blood. The romance genre is NOT for Shifu and Tigress! REad on to understand.
1. Part One

Karate Leopard

Part One

There was once a time when eight kingdoms lived united as one. Each had a scroll that was rumored to have powers.

There was the wise Jade Palace of the Dragon. Master Oogway himself took it upon himself to make this a home for all who wanted peace. Most of the inhabitants were pigs, ducks, and geese. He kept the Dragon Scroll in the mouth of a golden dragon that was above a pool of water that was rumored to be bottomless. The Dragon Scroll was red with green edges.

Actually, all the scrolls were red, but the edges were different colors. They were held in shrines of different creatures.

Then there was the solitary Quartz Palace of the Ki-Rin. Surrounded by temperate forests, it is inhabited by all kinds of animals. They specialized in craftsmanship, strategies, and ninja training. Their scroll had purple edges, held in the teeth of the unicorn/dragon hybrid, the Ki-Rin.

After that was the adaptable Sapphire Palace of the Yeti, located in the snowy mountains. Its people were only monkeys and apes, all of them used to changes. They specialized in hunting and archery, which helped with their adapting abilities. Their scroll had blue edges and was held in the paw of the apelike Yeti.

The peaceful Emerald Palace of the Naga was only populated by snakes. The palace was surrounded by cherry trees and beautiful ponds. The snake people loved the arts such as painting and music. Their scroll had yellow edges, located in the mouth of one of the hundred Naga heads. They are the most peaceful of kingdoms.

The Ruby Palace of the Chimera was very militant. Only cats such as tigers and leopards live there, and the palace is surrounded by grasslands. Military and (surprisingly) religion is very important to them. Their scroll had red edges, held in the mouth of the Chimera's serpent tail.

The warlike Topaz Palace of the Behemoth was surrounded by rocky deserts. Large animals such as elephants and rhinos lived there. The Topaz Palace was the most warlike and savage, and most of the people never learned to read and write. The scroll had brown edges and was held in the mouth of the Behemoth shrine.

The Obsidian Palace of the Leviathan was always power hungry. The palace lied on the shores of a muddy swamp. Only fish, crocodiles, and amphibians lived there, all of them being experts in sea trade and manipulating people. The Leviathan Scroll had black edges and was in the mouth of a Leviathan. As extra protection, the Leviathan shrine was underwater.

The last kingdom was the all-powerful Imperial Palace of the Phoenix. Seeing how it was the center of the other seven kingdoms, it has all the same environments as the other kingdoms. It is mostly inhabited by flying animals. This is where the Emperor lives. The scroll has orange edges, held in the talons of Phoenix shrine that hung over the Emperor's throne.

Now, I must remind you that the Topaz Palace is very warlike and the Obsidian Palace is power hungry. Over time, the Obsidian Palace grew jealous of the Imperial Palace. They wanted to be the top kingdom in China. The Obsidian Palace leader made a deal with Ganesha, leader of the Topaz Palace. The two kingdoms waged war across the land. Villages were destroyed, thousands of soldiers and villagers alike died. It wasn't until three powerful warriors, one of them being Master Oogway, came into battle and stopped the army. The armies of the Obsidian and Topaz Palace were obliterated, and Ganesha went into hiding. Everyone thought that it was all over.

Little did they know that the emperor of the Obsidian Palace had some eggs. One of the eggs just happened to hatch into a tadpole in a nearby pond.

Time went by. Oogway went back to the Valley of Peace. The other two masters left to start families. Three years after the war, the Ruby Palace found a surprise on their doorstep: a baby clouded leopard.

The master of the monastery was a kind man. He took the child in, taught him kung fu, and raised him along with three other students at the palace. There was Cheetah the cheetah, who can run at high speeds, faster than most cheetahs can run. Jake the monitor lizard, who can track anything from miles away and can see three seconds into the future. And finally, Surnam the gliding frog, who can glide far distances. The master of the Ruby palace named the adopted cub Xai.

_SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER_

Xai aimed a kick for Cheetah's head, but she managed to duck and swipe at the clouded leopard's legs. Xai jumped and kept fighting. Jake and Surnam were fighting pretty great. Though Jake was mostly winning because of his powers.

Soon, the four friends stopped.

"Nice moves." Xai said. He stared at the palace walls. "You ever wonder what it's like outside the palace?"

"Yeah." Cheetah sighs. "I've been living here my entire life."

"I spent about two days out there before Master brought me here." Surnam said.

"The outside world isn't for us." Jake insisted. "We belong here in the Ruby Palace."

"Jake, quit being so uptight." Cheetah said, giving the lizard a friendly shove. "Have some fun for once in your life."

"Let's go tell Master we want to go out tonight." Surnam insisted.

"Nah." Xai shook his head. "Let's just go. I mean, think about it: the war has been over for at least two decades. _What's _the worst that'll happen?" Cheetah and Surnam both agreed, but Jake seemed wary. It wasn't until Cheetah kept pestering him that he finally agreed. So they left. And they all, including Jake, had the time of their lives. It was so great that they didn't really pay attention to the time.

Then, as Xai watched Cheetah discuss things with Jake and Surnam, the clouded leopard noticed smoke out of the corner of his eye. At first, he thought that it was someone cooking his favorite meal: stir fry. But, with further looking, he soon realized the truth.

"The Ruby Palace is burning!" he told his friends. The four of them sprinted back as fast as they could. Once there, they were horrified to see a mysterious giant Chinese salamander there, holding the Chimera Scroll and standing on the body of their dead master.

"Greetings." The salamander said. "I am Rik-Zi, son of the king and heir to the Obsidian Palace. I'm here to make things right. Ever since my father lost the war, the world's just been flat out messed up."

Then, Jake sensed something. His eyes turned white as he saw three seconds into the future, seeing some people jump at him. He dodged, landing on Cheetah's shoulder.

Rik-Zi seemed very calm and casual. "Allow me to introduce my minions: Saimang the gibbon, Tarantula the tarantula, Pangolin the pangolin, and Komodo the komodo dragon."

"Why is it that the gibbon has the only normal name?" Xai muttered. Komodo hissed, and then he and the others attacked. Xai, Cheetah, Jake, and Surnam had no choice but to run, seeing how they're outnumbered and overpowered. Cheetah and Surnam, using their powers, managed to escape with ease. However, Komodo caught up with Xai, and the two of them engaged in a violent fight. But the two warriors managed to match each other blow for blow, until Komodo swiped at Xai's legs and pinned him to the ground.

"You know, you're pretty good, kid." Komodo mused. "But I bet I could teach you a few things." Jake rushed towards Komodo and tackled him, freeing Xai and buying them some time so that they could catch up with Cheetah and Surnam. Komodo attempted to get up and give a chase, but Rik-Zi tells him to forget it.

"We have the Chimera Scroll." Rik-Zi reminded them. "Now let's go." Komodo seemed hesitant, but followed his master.

Xai, Cheetah, Jake, and Surnam managed to escape the city and came to the top of a large hill. They watch with heavy hearts as the city is destroyed.

_STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR_

The four warriors walked around for a long time. They didn't have anywhere to go and they weren't aiming for any certain palace. But when Cheetah spotted the Jade Palace, they decided that there was the best place to go. They wandered around, not really knowing where they're going. But soon, Xai noticed a poster for bounty hunter recruitments.

"Huh, bounty hunters." Xai sighed. "At least that'd get us some money."

"And those guys can help us arrest Rik-Zi." Surnam added. "That little creep should be in chains."

"Are you kidding?" Jake protested. "Being a bounty hunter is disgraceful to a kung fu warrior."

"Come on, Jake." Cheetah sighed. "It can't be that bad. Besides, it's technically doing good; we're arresting people who are doing wrong deeds." Jake nodded in understanding.

"Then it's official." Xai said. "We'll go sign up."

Meanwhile, at the signups, the leader of the bounty hunters was bored and disappointed. He was a gavial that was named Gavial. He used to have five other bounty hunters with him, but they had all died out. So now, he was discouraged for he hadn't seen or met anyone who was good enough.

"Excuse me."

Gavial looked up and saw Xai and the others.

"Can I help you kids?" Gavial asked.

"We wish to join you." Xai said.

"Alright." Gavial droned. What did he have to lose? "Show me what you can do."

"I can track down anybody." Jake said. He led the others outside and told them that there was a thief on the other side of town.

"Back in a flash!" Cheetah said. She and Surnam rushed off. In about three minutes, they returned with a tied up fox. But when they put him down, he slipped out of his bonds.

Gavial was already surprised, but this was freaky. "How did you do that? And who are you?"

"I'm Yukio." The fox said. "I grew up on the streets and taught myself an improvised version of kung fu."

"Nice." Gavial was impressed. "So far, you guys are fitting the bill." He turned to Xai. "Now what can you do?"

"I can fight pretty well." Xai said. "My friends and I learned kung fu in the Ruby Palace."

"Okay." Gavial said. "Spar with me." Xai smirked and agreed. A ring was set up, and the two warriors started their battle. Xai soon found out that Gavial knew martial arts, and he was pretty good at it. The fight between the two warriors was intense, but Gavial eventually won by swiping Xai's legs from under him.

"I gotta learn to dodge that." Xai chuckled. "Where did you learn kung fu?"

"I used to live in the Obsidian Palace." Gavial said. "But when the war started, I came here in hopes of living in peace." He stared at the four Ruby Palace warriors and Yukio the former thief. "Well, there are five spots open, and I think I just found my new recruits. What do you say?" The five warriors bowed to their leader.

A month passed by. Gavial's new recruits were just as good as his old ones. They never disappointed, and it was a good life. One day, while having dinner, Surnam caught sight of a poster that was advertising a tournament for the (currently) Terrific Three. After reading the poster, Surnam got the attention of the others. "Hey guys, you see that poster?"

Gavial glanced at it. "Seems the Jade Palace needs another person for their tournament. Winner gets a thousand gold."

Yukio whistled. "Nice. That would be some good money to have." It was true; the bounty hunters had gotten so good that business was slow.

"Well, who's gonna go?" Cheetah asked.

"I'll go." Xai offered. "I bet this Terrific Three aren't as bad as they may sound."

"Sounds good." Gavial said. "Let's get going." They all finished their dinner pretty quickly and went to the Jade Palace to sign up Xai. Then, it was lights out early because it was gonna be a long day tomorrow.

The next day, the bounty hunters traveled to the Jade Palace. Gavial led Xai off to see the master of the palace while the others went to find seats to watch the show.

At first, Gavial was surprised to see that the master of the palace was a red panda. But when he found out it was Master Shifu, apprentice to Grandmaster Oogway, he instantly respected him.

"Well, here's Xai, ready to go." Gavial said. "I'll see you after the show."

Shifu stared at the clouded leopard with a solemn stare. Xai got a bit uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?"

"No….you just look like a certain snow leopard I know." Shifu said. He didn't tell Xai that he looked like Tai Lung, currently in jail. Shifu composed himself. "Come with me and I'll introduce you to my students." Shifu led Xai to where the contestants for the tournament waited. Once there, he introduced Xai to Tigress, Crane, and Monkey, who composed the Terrific Three. When Xai saw Tigress, he suddenly felt his heart race. He didn't really think he was in love for once. But Tigress was _really _good-looking. Cheetah looked nice, but she was a tomboy. Tigress was a kung fu warrior, but she was hot!

Xai was pretty thankful he didn't say that out loud.

Eventually, Shifu did start the tournament. He thought that a mere bounty hunter couldn't beat his students.

There were three rounds to the tournament. First off was Xai fighting Monkey. The fight lasted for a while and Xai kept getting more and more frustrated. While he kept trying to lay down a blow, Monkey kept jumping around like a possessed flea. Then, Xai started to lose, seeing how he had long since lost his focus. Then, Monkey made a swipe for the leopard's legs, and Xai jumped, dodging the attack. He had been working on that for weeks. With newfound energy, Xai attacked with more force. Monkey hardly had any time to block before he was thrown and pinned to the ground. Shifu was thoroughly surprised, but a bit amused when he declared Xai the winner of round one.

During round two, Xai watched the battle intently. He would either have to face Crane or Tigress, and he had to know what he was up against. He was utterly surprised at Tigress' skill as she lay down a serious beating on Crane. He was a bit nervous when Shifu announced Tigress as the winner and called him out. But he also felt butterflies in his stomach.

The final fight began, and the two cats matched each other blow for blow. They were equal in strength and both had similar strategies. They twisted, turned, kicked, and punched, but neither cat was going to get beaten anytime soon. Xai soon found that out, seeing how the battle was lasting for at least ten minutes. So, out of boredom, he let Tigress punch him and he ended up on his back. She pinned him down, and Shifu declared her the winner.

As Xai walked back to the contestant room, Tigress approached him. "You _let _me win."

Xai shrugged. "The fight was going nowhere and I was bored."

Tigress smirked. She was about to say something else when Shifu intervened.

"If I may ask, where did you come from?" Shifu said. "Xai, right?"

"Yeah." Xai said. "My master told me I was found on his doorstep as a cub. He took me in and raised me. My friends and I are his top students." He didn't mention they were his _only _students. "But then some Chinese salamander named Rik-Zi attacked and killed our master and destroyed our home. So we came here to get a job and Gavial recruited us as bounty hunters. We're still on the hunt for Rik-Zi."

"Did Rik-Zi say anything about coming here?" Shifu asked.

"No." Xai said. "But he took the Chimera Scroll. Why?"

"If he comes here, we might be in trouble." Shifu said. "If you see him, defeat him immediately, alright?" Shifu turned on his heel and walked off. As he did, Xai noticed that he was walking with a bad limp.

"What's with him?" Xai asked.

"His heart's been wounded." Tigress explained. "Long story; but if Rik-Zi _does _invade the palace, we'll have a crisis on our hands."

"Won't Master Oogway help?"

"He's on a ten year long meditation." Tigress said. She picked up a towel and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I was very intrigued by your story, Xai. Maybe I should tell you _my _life story sometime."

"I'd like that." Xai said. Then, he and Tigress parted ways. Xai was feeling pretty good; he kind of felt like he had been on a date.

On the other hand, Gavial and the others weren't very happy that Xai purposefully gave up a thousand gold. They wouldn't stop grumbling, even when they were home. Their home was actually a large house with a high wall, complete with a training dojo.

"You are such a flirter." Jake told Xai. "I bet you gave up the money for a date with that Tigress girl."

"She is quite attractive." Surnam agreed. "But I don't think you're ready for a serious relationship."

"Come on!" Xai protested. "I'm seventeen and a half years old. I'm completely ready."

"Whether or not that's true can be decided later." Gavial growled. "Now, I realize that the battle could've gone on for quite some time, but that doesn't mean you should slack off. Next time that happens you're on suspension, got it?"

"Yes sir." Xai said. Gavial smirked.

"Kids…."he muttered under his breath.

Then, Cheetah and Yukio came in thru the door, having just caught a thief and got done putting him in jail. "Hey, what's up?"

"Xai's in love." Jake said.

"Seriously?" Cheetah asked incredulously.

"Hey, it's natural for someone his age to be in love." Jake said.

"Yeah." Yukio agreed. "But he didn't have to give up the gold."

Then, the bickering started, and Xai sighed. "Hey!" he shouted. That got everyone's attention. "Look, I'll make it up to you; I'll take all the night watchman shifts."

"You're willing to stay up all night just to make it up to us?" Gavial asked.

"Yes." Xai said.

Gavial smiled. "Very well. Start whenever."

Xai smiled and walked off immediately to start the shifts.

_STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR _

That night, Shifu meditated peacefully by the Moon Pool. Above him was the golden dragon that held the legendary Dragon Scroll.

Shifu was still a bit worried. Rik-Zi hadn't attacked yet, but he had destroyed the Ruby Palace and its village over a month ago, and he hasn't come to the Jade Palace. Shifu desperately wished he could go to Master Oogway, but the old tortoise had left for the Sacred Pool of Tears for his meditation.

As Shifu meditated, he didn't hear two unwanted visitors come in thru the opening and up onto the rafters. The smaller of the visitors quietly slipped behind a large pillar and signaled towards his large companion. The large visitor moved across the rafters until he was right above Master Shifu. The glow from the Moon Pool lit up the large visitor's face, revealing Komodo's killer glare.

Suddenly, Rik-Zi's slippery foot slid sharply across the floor, making a squeak. He ducked behind the pillar as Shifu's eyes snapped open. He stood up quickly and stuck a kung fu stance. He slowly walked over to where Rik-Zi was hidden, but when he circled the pillar, he found no one. He started walking back to the Moon Pool when Rik-Zi suddenly locked his arm around the old master's neck. Shifu managed to throw the salamander off, but then Komodo attacked. Shifu turned and attempted to punch the lizard. Komodo grabbed Shifu's arm, twisted it painfully behind his back, and swiped his legs from under him, pinning the old man to the ground.

Shifu struggled to get up, but Komodo had a tight grip on him. He could only watch as Rik-Zi scampered up the shelves that held the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu and come back down with the Dragon Scroll in hand.

Komodo, seeing that Rik-Zi got what he wanted, let Shifu go and gave him a brutal kick to the ribs. Shifu recovered fast, lunging for the lizard. But Komodo grabbed him by the throat and forced him to his knees. Komodo then raised his claws…

"What are you doing?" Rik-Zi asked.

Komodo stopped. "What does it look like?"

"Don't kill him yet." Rik-Zi said. "Bind him. We'll take him with us."

"And _why _would we do that?" Komodo demanded.

"First off, because I said so." Rik-Zi snapped. "Second, the Terrific Three and the Bounty Hunters will come after him. It'll be the perfect opportunity to kill them. After they're dead, you can do what you want with the old man." Komodo growled a little, but reluctantly let go of Shifu. Then, he tightly tied the old master's hands behind his back and gagged him.

"We'll settle this later." Komodo hissed. Shifu only cast him a glare. Komodo followed Rik-Zi out of the palace, dragging Shifu along. They met up with Saimang, Tarantula, and Pangolin before heading back towards their base.

Shifu immediately went to the worst case scenario. His students would come after him, and the bounty hunters would surely follow to help. If Rik-Zi could capture him, then they would surely be killed.

But Shifu did see something that gave him some hope.

As Rik-Zi and his group walked, they passed by a high wall.

On top of that wall was Xai.

A/N: This story is split into two parts. The last mcgormanp story may be three. Read and review!


	2. Part Two

Karate Leopard

Part Two

Xai waited until Rik-Zi and his men were out of sight before he rushed off to wake up Gavial and the others. They all seemed a bit cranky, especially Gavial, when they were woken, but they were immediately alert when Xai gave them the news.

"Why would Rik-Zi take Shifu if he got what he wanted?" Cheetah wondered aloud. "I would've thought that he would kill the old man."

"It doesn't matter." Xai said. "We have to help him." But the other bounty warriors, even Gavial, were hesitant. "Are you kidding me? I thought we were supposed to be the good guys; the ones who _stop _the _bad guys_. Rik-Zi has already taken my master's life and I _will not _allow him to take another."

Jake stepped up. "I'll help. You'll need my tracking skills." He immediately went outside to lock onto Rik-Zi better. The others finally decided that Xai was right, and agreed to help.

"We should go warn Shifu's students." Yukio said. He rushed to the door and opened it, only to find the Terrific Three standing there.

"Shifu's been taken." Crane said. "And-"

"We already know." Gavial informed him, Tigress, and Monkey. "Xai here caught sight of Rik-Zi and his gang taking your master away. We're ready to help in any way we can."

Tigress seemed a bit wary. "What'll it cost?"

Surnam thought about it. "How about-"

"Don't worry about it." Xai interrupted. "Think of it as a favor." Surnam shot Xai an exasperated look, but Gavial smirked slightly. _Flirter. _He thought.

"Thank you." Tigress said gratefully. "Now how are we going to find Rik-Zi?"

"Jake's working on that now." Cheetah replied. "He can track anybody down."

"Then we'll leave tomorrow." Monkey confirmed. Everyone nodded and went back to bed. But as Xai closed the door, Crane frowned at him.

"Don't get any ideas about Tigress, funny boy." He threatened before leaving.

The next day, the Three met up with the Bounty Hunters at their base and Jake used his powers to lock onto Rik-Zi again.

"He's in the jungle." He confirmed. So, with Jake leading the way, the group headed out. It didn't take long to find the jungle, nor did it take long for Monkey to fall into a pit, finding the ruins of an underground palace. As the others followed to investigate, Xai found a scroll in the rubble.

"Hey guys!" he called everyone over. "Check this out. It's got weird writing all over it."

Crane inspected it. "It's an old form of Bird Language. It says that this is the Tengu Scroll, containing the Tengu Army."

"Is that one of the scrolls of the eight kingdoms?" Monkey asked.

"No." Gavial said. "But you never know when that might come in handy. Better hold onto it." Crane nodded and handed it to the bounty hunter leader, who tucked in away in his bag. The group climbs out of the pit and took a break. When they did, Xai made his way over to Tigress.

"So, remember how you said you'd tell me about your past?" he asked.

Tigress smirked. "Yes. Would you like to know now?"

"Well, I need something to do." Xai replied.

Tigress chuckled. "Well, I came from….." Suddenly, Komodo pounced them. Tigress managed to kick him away, but he came again, attacking the two cats with full force. The rest of the group joined in the fight as Rik-Zi and his men came charging after Komodo. Though they all fought hard, the bounty hunters and the Terrific Three were losing. Xai and Tigress were no match for Komodo. Cheetah and Surnam attacked Pangolin with all their might, but he didn't even feel their hits. As Monkey and Crane fought Saimang, he recognized Monkey as his old rival from the Sapphire Palace. Yukio managed to dodge many of Tarantula's attacks, but he is bitten by her.

Meanwhile, Gavial managed to catch sight of Shifu, who was still bound and gagged near the battlefield. Gavial rushed over and removed the cloth around his mouth.

"You alright?" Gavial asked.

Shifu looked past him and his eyes widened. "Watch out!"

Gavial whipped around, only to be tackled by Rik-Zi. The two of them fought hard, and they were worthy opponents. Soon, though, Rik-Zi got the upper hand. But as he did, he noticed a large figure coming towards them.

"Retreat!" he barked an order as he knocked Gavial away. He and his comrades ran off into the thick jungle, Komodo grabbing Shifu along the way. When they had disappeared, the figure came up to the warriors and the bounty hunters. It turned out, he was a panda; a large, burly panda.

"Who are you?" Gavial asked.

"My name is Kappa." The panda said. "A kung fu warrior from the war." He glanced over at Xai. "I worked with Xai's father. I understand you're fighting Rik-Zi."

"Yeah." Tigress said. "He's taken Master Shifu."

Kappa growled. "I will join you. I know the land well, and I can help you bring Rik-Zi down." Gavial agreed and suggested that they should camp for the night.

After camp had been set up, Yukio walked over to Xai. The young clouded leopard was staring at Tigress, who was tending the fire.

Yukio shook his head. "You know, I'm starting to think this Tigress chick is starting to take over your mind."

Xai rolled his eyes. "It's just a crush. You know how we boys get when we see a pretty girl."

Yukio rolled his eyes this time. "Whatever." He was about to lie down to sleep when he felt a sharp pain in his leg, and he yelped.

"What's wrong?" Xai asked worriedly.

"Uh…nothing." Yukio lied. "Just a…..muscle cramp." Xai seemed suspicious, but the two of them went to sleep.

Meanwhile, a few miles away, Rik-Zi and his men were taking a break. Rik-Zi was refreshing himself in a pond, seeing how a salamander must stay hydrated. Saimang was meditating while standing on his tail. Tarantula was taking a nap in a tree. Pangolin was sharpening his claws on that same tree. Komodo kept a close eye on Shifu, who was sitting aside from them. His bonds had been removed because the circulation was being cut off in his hands, but he didn't dare move from the spot he was in, fearing that Komodo would kill him then and there, and he wouldn't be able to help his students. He took the opportunity to try and formulate a plan in his head, but every plan had a flaw. Nine out of ten times, that flaw was the giant lizard that never took his hateful eyes off the master.

"Why are you doing this?" Shifu demanded. "You and Tai Lung were my best students, and now you're trying to kill me."

Komodo snarled. "Don't play dumb, old man." But he noticed Shifu's dead serious look on his face. "When I ran away, I would've been dead had Rik-Zi not taken me in. He gave me shelter, food, and water. He taught me how to fight dirty. And you know what? It works." Komodo took a moment and studied his claws with a pleasant look on his face.

Shifu caught on. "You used your claws in battle?"

"And my venom, at times." Komodo added.

"That goes against-"

"I don't care if it goes against kung fu laws." Komodo snapped, glaring daggers at his old master. "I don't even understand why we aren't allowed to use stuff like that. They give us an advantage. Like, say…." Komodo suddenly thrust his claws to Shifu's throat. "…if I wanted to slit your throat."

Shifu swat the lizard's claws away. "Why do you hate me? You were a dedicated student."

"I've hated you ever since you adopted that little fur ball Tai Lung." Komodo hissed.

"What did you want me to do?" Shifu tried to explain. "Leave out to die in the cold? I wasn't about to abandon him just because you were jealous."

"Shut up!" Komodo suddenly slammed his fist into his master. Shifu's head slammed against a rock, and he was out cold in seconds. Komodo growled as he stood. He should've killed the old man then, but he knew Rik-Zi still needed him. After all, once Shifu's students and the bounty hunters were dealt with, he could do what he wanted with the old man.

Komodo turned to Rik-Zi. "Are we ready to go?"

Rik-Zi sighed and got out of the pond. "I suppose so. Let's head back to the base." The group headed off. Komodo grabbed the back of Shifu's robes and dragged him along.

_Don't kill him yet. _Komodo thought to himself. _Just wait. My revenge can wait for a while longer. _So, as he followed his leader and fellow comrades, Komodo started devising plans for his former master's execution.

Komodo smiled. _It'll be a bloody one._

_STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR _

The next day, Jake led the group out of the jungle and out into some grass lands. "If I'm correct…"

"You always are." Cheetah said.

Jake sighed. "The Ruby Palace should be near here." The group kept walking.

Crane walked over next to Tigress. "What do you see in that Xai character?"

Tigress shrugged. "I don't know. He's kind, charitable, and kinda cute." Crane stared at her, awestruck. He shook his head and moved on to talk to Monkey. What Tigress didn't know is that Xai had been hiding in the tall grass. He was really happy that Tigress seemed to have the same feelings for him.

Yukio walked over and noticed Xai's dreamy look. He shook his head and hit the clouded leopard upside the head. "Ow!"

"Would you stop that?" Yukio whined. "The Ruby Palace is up there, now let's go." Yukio started walking, but screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground. Everyone rushed towards him.

"What's wrong?" Gavial demanded. Yukio showed him his wounded leg and found a bite mark in his calf. "What bit you?"

"Last I checked, that Tarantula girl." Yukio growled.

"There should be some medicine in the city." Kappa informed them. "We must hurry." The group hurried off, Yukio leaning on Xai for support. Once the group had reached the ruins of the Ruby Palace, they desperately started to search for the medicine, splitting up into groups. Jake stayed with Yukio as the fox rested. Xai and Kappa were in the remains of a hospital when Kappa found the cabinet that held the medicine. But, upon looking in, they found the shelf empty.

"They can't be out!" Xai cried.

"They're not." Kappa confirmed, inspecting the spot where the medicine used to be. "It's been recently taken, and I bet Rik-Zi's the one who took it."

"Let's get going." Xai said. "We have to catch up with them." Kappa nodded and they informed the group of what happened. As the group was leaving, Xai noticed Tigress standing before a destroyed house, holding something in her hand.

Xai walked over to her. "What's that?" he gestured towards the necklace in her hand.

Tigress sighed and put the necklace on. "It was my mother's. The Ruby Palace was my home." She sadly walked off, and Xai gave the ruins one last solemn glance before joining the others.

_STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR _

Back at Rik-Zi's base, which was none other than the snowy Sapphire Palace ruins, Shifu sat shivering in the shrine room. He was right below the statue of the Yeti, who held the Yeti Scroll in his paw. Shifu had his wrists in shackles attached to a nearby rock next to him. Apparently Rik-Zi had been using the palace as a base long enough for him to have a prisoner or two. Shifu had a bad feeling that any prisoner stuck here didn't last long.

Komodo came in, smirking down at the shivering master. "Would you relax?" he droned. "I hear Hell is warmer."

Shifu growled in his throat. "Why can't you come to your senses? Can't you see that Rik-Zi will just kill you once he's thru with you?"

"You mean like with Tai Lung?" Komodo hissed. "You always preferred him for the Dragon Scroll. You did give him his name. That's why I ran away; I knew that there was no place for me at the palace." Komodo turned away from Shifu, a dark smile on his lips. "But Tai Lung and Master Oogway were fools. They never understood the full power of the Dragon Scroll. If you gather it with the others scrolls of the eight kingdoms and their centerpiece, you will have the power to summon the beast within the scroll. Defeat the beast, you get its powers."

Shifu stood up, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "You're crazy; nobody can control that much power."

"That's the reason why I'm glad Rik-Zi found me." Komodo explained. "He'll teach me to use and control that power. Then nobody, not even Tai Lung, will stop me."

"He's in prison." Shifu said flatly.

Komodo tensed up. "What….?"

"Oogway refused him the title of Dragon Warrior." Shifu explained. "He rampaged across the valley, was defeated by Master Oogway, and put in jail for the rest of his life." Komodo snarled. "So I guess this was for nothing."

Komodo lunged, aiming a punch. But Shifu managed to block, and the two warriors were locked in position.

"You're the one who drove me to power in the first place!" Komodo shouted. He pushed away and tried to punch him again. When Shifu blocked, Komodo took the opportunity to slash his claws across the master's shoulder. Shifu went to his knees, and Komodo slammed him into a rock. While Shifu was down, Komodo drew his knife. When the old master tried to stand, the large lizard slammed his hand down on his chest, pinning the old man to the floor. With Shifu down, Komodo raised his knife and thrust it down.

Suddenly, Rik-Zi charged in and tackled Komodo. He brutally hit the komodo dragon. "You idiot! I said not to kill him! He's the bait, remember? And I told you specifically that you could do what you wanted with him once his students and the bounty hunters were dead."

Komodo snarled and walked out of the room. Then, he ran away. _I'll get my revenge. _He thought. _On both Shifu and Rik-Zi._

Meanwhile, Rik-Zi glared at Shifu, who was trying to stop his shoulder from bleeding too badly. "No wonder Komodo ran away from home; you kept getting him angry." Shifu only glared at him. Rik-Zi removed his shackles and led him to a pillar, keeping Komodo's knife to the master's throat. Rik-Zi tied Shifu's arms behind his back and tied the master to the pillar. "That should hold you….till your execution." Rik-Zi walked off, chuckling darkly.

Meanwhile, Xai and the others got to the Sapphire Palace in the mountains. No sooner had they all stepped foot into the sanctuary when Rik-Zi and his men attacked, minus Komodo.

Kappa took on Saimang, but the gibbon was no match for the panda warrior, and was quickly knocked out. Xai, Tigress, Cheetah, Jake, and Monkey fought Pangolin. Being like an armadillo, Pangolin could easily block their blows with his hard shell. But Jake used his powers to see what he'd do next, and informed Cheetah. The cheetah warrior managed to grab Pangolin and hold him down while Xai finished him off.

Yukio, Gavial, and Crane had been fighting Tarantula. The large spider proved a very strong opponent, and Crane had narrowly missed her fangs one too many times. Then, Yukio went to his knees, the poison spreading fast.

Tarantula saw this. She smirked as she revealed the medicine for Yukio. Before anyone could say a word, she smashed in on the ground, laughing about it. Yukio got angry. He was determined to finish this fight no matter what. So he took out his knife and charged. Tarantula was unprepared and was overwhelmed. With a fast swipe of his knife, Yukio reduced Tarantula into two halves of a spider in a puddle of blood.

The fox never had a chance to celebrate, because he went to his knees once more. Gavial rushed to him and caught the former thief before he fell. Yukio stared up at Gavial and smiled. "I hope I've done well."

"You have." Gavial promised. Yukio sighed and died peacefully in Gavial's hands.

Gavial was pretty shocked, but then his shock turned to rage as Rik-Zi attacked him. The gavial tackled the salamander into an indoor pond, snarling. But then, Rik-Zi showed his true powers. While standing in the pond, he gained ultimate strength. When Gavial tried to attack, Rik-Zi hit him away like he was a fly. Rik-Zi sent Gavial flying, and the bounty hunter landed right next to Shifu.

Rik-Zi assumed he had finally won, but then Kappa attacked him from behind, knocking the salamander out of the pool. The two warriors fought hard, and they seemed to match each other in strength. But Kappa was much stronger, and disabled Rik-Zi in one blow. Kappa was about to kill the salamander when Rik-Zi shouted, "Stop!"

Kappa froze, but he seemed suspicious.

"I surrender." Rik-Zi said. "You are a great warrior." Kappa growled, but stood up straight and started walking towards Shifu.

Xai had been watching the battle from the shadows he was watching on the wall. He thought Rik-Zi would go quietly, but then he saw the salamander grab Yukio's knife. Before he or anyone could shout a warning, Rik-Zi let out a cry of triumph. Xai watched with horror as Rik-Zi stabbed Kappa in the heart.

The panda went to his knees. His breathing was a mixture of snarling and gasping. Rik-Zi smiled. "And so, the great Kappa falls."

Kappa snarled at him. "Just wait; my son will save the Valley of Peace from the likes of you." Kappa then fell down, dead.

Rik-Zi sneered, but then he saw that he had made an avalanche with his scream, and he ran off, scooping up the Chimera Scroll. Gavial woke up, seeing the ceiling about to fall on him, Shifu, and Xai. He quickly got up and held up the ceiling with all his strength. While nobody was looking, Saimang had woken up and taken the Yeti Scroll from its shrine. Xai rushed to Gavial's side to help, but he would have none of it.

"Get the old man and get out of here!" Gavial ordered. Xai hesitated. "Now!"

Xai jumped and rushed to Master Shifu, freeing the master from his bonds with his claws. Xai saw the Dragon Scroll and grabbed that as he and Shifu made a run for it. Shifu looked back at Gavial. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Gavial smirked. Shifu nodded and followed Xai and the others out of the room. Once everyone was out, Gavial let the ceiling fall, burying him and the Tengu Scroll in the rubble.

As the group escaped, Cheetah, Jake, and Surnam got separated from the others, but somehow managed to find an exit. Xai, Tigress, Crane, Monkey, and Shifu saw Saimang with the Yeti Scroll.

"We can't let him get away!" Shifu cried.

"I'll get him!" Xai said. "You guys get out of here!" Xai started to run off, but Tigress trailed after him. Xai stopped and he and Tigress stood face to face. "If I don't make it out, I want you to know that I always had feelings for you."

Tigress smiled softly. She took off her mother's necklace and gave it to Xai. "Keep it." She said. "So you'll remember me. I've always had feelings for you, too." She quickly kissed him and then ran back to her friends and master. Xai seemed in a trance until he remembered what he was doing, and he gave a chase.

As Saimang ran, he hid behind a pillar and picked up a large rock. When Xai passed by, Saimang slammed the rock onto Xai's head, knocking the clouded leopard out cold. Saimang lunged to kill him, but then Komodo appeared, knocking Saimang away and hitting the gibbon into a hole. Then, Komodo dived into the hole to finish the job.

Xai woke up with his head hurting. He assumed it was because someone was screaming. Suddenly, the screams stopped, and Komodo appeared out of the hole with the Yeti Scroll in hand.

Xai didn't seem afraid. But he didn't attack either. "Who are you? Where am I? _Who _am I?"

Komodo smiled. "I am Komodo, your master. You are Saber. This used to be our home, but Shifu and his minions of the Jade Palace destroyed it and killed everyone. I managed to save you in time." Komodo turned. "Come, we shall avenge this place and kill the old man and his people."

"Saber" nodded and followed his "master", not knowing that he had left Tigress' necklace.

_STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR _

Cheetah, Jake, and Surnam waited for the others to catch up. But, when they saw the city crumble and nobody had joined them, they came to the sad conclusion that they were dead. So the three warriors moved on.

Shifu, Tigress, Monkey, and Crane watched the city reduce itself to rubble from the avalanche. Xai and his friends were nowhere to be seen or found.

"I don't see them, do you?" Monkey asked.

"No." Shifu sighed. "Nobody could've lived thru that." Tigress had tears stream down her face as the four of them started the journey back home.

Miles away, Saber and the newly recruited Chameleon and Guar ravage a village until it is reduced to a raging inferno. Saber walked up to his master Komodo and bowed to him.

Komodo smiled. "You're doing the right thing, Saber. Well done."

Saber/Xai suddenly woke up, wondering if he had a nightmare or something. After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "I remember now."

A/N: Trust me; this will all make sense in the final story.


End file.
